RRB Group D 2025 Exam Pattern: Check CBT & PET Formats, Duration & Marking Scheme

RRB Group D Exam Pattern 2025: RRB Group D Exam 2025 is a major recruitment drive conducted by the Indian Railways to fill over 1 lakh Level-1 vacancies across various posts such as Track Maintainer Grade-IV, Helper/Assistant, Assistant Pointsman, and others. This exam is held in multiple stages, starting with a Computer-Based Test (CBT), followed by a Physical Efficiency Test (PET), document verification, medical examination, and finally, the empanelment of selected candidates. The RRB Group D 2025 Exam Date is November 17, 2025, and will continue till the end of December 2025.

Understanding the exam pattern is essential for candidates, as it provides clarity on the structure of the exam, the marking scheme, the subject areas, and the selection process. The CBT scores of RRB Group D 2025 are calculated using a percentile-based normalisation method to ensure fairness across different shifts. This normalised score plays a key role in determining eligibility for the next stages of the selection process. In this guide, we’ll break down the RRB Group D exam pattern for 2025 in detail.

RRB Group D 2025 Exam Pattern: Stage-wise

RRB Group D 2025 Exam is held to recruit candidates for Level 1 posts in Indian Railways. The selection process includes four stages: a Computer-Based Test (CBT) with 100 questions across General Science, Mathematics, Reasoning, and Current Affairs; a Physical Efficiency Test (PET) that tests weight lifting and running abilities; Document Verification for shortlisted candidates; and a Medical Examination to assess fitness, especially visual acuity. Final selection is based on CBT performance, provided candidates qualify for all subsequent stages.

The CBT 2 stage has been removed after concerns raised by candidates, so now, there's only one stage of CBT. Candidates can find the complete stage-wise details of RRB Group D 2025 exam pattern in the sections provided below:

RRB Group D CBT Exam Pattern 2025

The CBT (Computer-Based Test) is the first and most crucial stage of the selection process. It tests students’ knowledge in four key areas, such as General Science, Mathematics, General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Awareness & Current Affairs. In this exam, students get a total of 90 minutes to solve the paper, and they will receive MCQs worth 1 mark each. RRB Group D 2025 Total Marks is 100. More information is as follows:

Check: RRB Group D 2025 Admit Card

RRB Group D PET (Physical Efficiency Test) Exam Pattern 2025

Once students qualify for the CBT, they’ll be invited for the PET. The number of candidates shortlisted for PET is three times the number of available vacancies. The PET is qualifying in nature, which means they need to just pass it, not score marks.

For Male Candidates:

• Weight lifting: Lift and carry 35 kg for 100 meters in 2 minutes, without putting it down.
• Running: Run 1000 meters in 4 minutes and 15 seconds – in one attempt.

For Female & Transgender Candidates:

• Weight lifting: Lift and carry 20 kg for 100 meters in 2 minutes, without putting it down.
• Running: Run 1000 meters in 5 minutes and 40 seconds – in one attempt.

Passing the PET is mandatory to move on to the next stage, i.e., Document Verification.

Document Verification & Final Selection

After the PET, candidates are called for document verification in a ratio of 1.1 times the number of vacancies. This means slightly more candidates than the actual number of posts are shortlisted, in case of any withdrawals or disqualifications. Earlier, this ratio was 1.05 times the number of vacancies, but it was revised in 2022. Candidates are selected based on:

• Their performance in the CBT
• Successful PET qualification
• Merit and preference of posts/locations

Medical Examination

As per the RRB Group D 2025 Exam Pattern PDF, once selected candidates’ documents are verified, they will undergo a medical fitness test conducted by the Railway Administration. The medical standards vary depending on the nature of the job they’ve selected during the RRB Group D 2025 Application Process. One key requirement across all categories is good visual acuity. Here’s a simplified breakdown of the medical standards:

RRB Group D 2025 Marking Scheme & Qualifying Marks

The marking scheme for the RRB Group D exam is set by the Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) and is used to calculate candidates' scores in the Computer-Based Test (CBT). 1 mark is awarded for every correct answer, and 1/3 mark is deducted for every incorrect answer (negative marking applies). To pass the CBT stage, candidates must score the minimum qualifying marks based on their category. In addition to these, candidates must also meet the RRB Group D 2025 Exam Cutoff set by individual RRBs. Given below are the minimum qualifying marks category-wise:

RRB Group D 2025 Percentile-Based Calculation

In the RRB Group D exam, candidates appear in different shifts with varying levels of difficulty. To ensure fairness, raw marks (the actual score) are converted into a percentile score through a process called normalisation. A percentile score shows how well students have performed relative to other candidates in their exam shift and not just their actual score.

• The top scorer in every shift gets a percentile of 100.
• A percentile score tells the percentage of candidates who scored equal to or less than the candidate in that particular shift.
• It is not the same as a percentage (which is based only on total marks).

So, if a student’s percentile is 85, it means they scored better than 85% of the candidates in their shift.

How is the Percentile Score Calculated?

Percentile scores are calculated up to five decimal places to avoid ties and grouping of scores. The percentile scores from all shifts are then merged and called RRC Scores, which are used to prepare the final merit list.

Percentile Score = (Number of candidates in your shift with raw score equal to or less than yours ÷ Total number of candidates in that shift) × 100

What is a Base Shift?

To normalise scores, all raw marks are converted relative to a special reference point known as the Base Shift. A Base Shift is chosen based on these conditions: It must have the highest average (mean) marks across all shifts, and at least 70% of the scheduled candidates must have actually appeared in that shift.

If there's a tie (two shifts with the same average marks), the following are used as tie-breakers:

• The shift with the highest individual score becomes the Base Shift.
• If that's also tied, the shift with the highest number of candidates present is chosen.

RRB Group D 2025 Syllabus

To succeed in the RRB Group D 2025 exam, candidates need to be well-versed in four key areas: Mathematics, General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Science, and General Awareness. The RRB Group D 2025 Exam Pattern and Syllabus are designed to test their basic knowledge and problem-solving skills, typically at the Class 10 (Matriculation) level. Given below is a quick overview of the Syllabus for RRB Group D Exam 2025:

RRB Group D 2025 Exam Pattern FAQs